


Subroutines and Old Machines

by secrets_kept_hidden



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:48:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24861841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secrets_kept_hidden/pseuds/secrets_kept_hidden
Summary: After Samaritan is put to an end, many of its agents are left to fend for themselves. Claire Mahoney is no exception. When she goes off on the run, however, she finds that she's already been found.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	1. Ch.0_intro

# Ch.0_intro

**Target: Claire Mahoney  
Classification: Potential Asset  
Status: Incognito  
Current Location: New York, NY, USA (?)  
Action Proposal: Confirm location and secure asset.  
Awaiting Admin Approval...  
{ADMIN: ACCEPTED}  
Calculating POLR...  
[|]  
[\\]  
[-]  
[/]  
[|]  
**

She was in the college dorms. Samaritan had been shut down. Greer was dead. Decima was lost. She reflected on what Harold had offered her on that rooftop. What if she had joined him instead of pushing him away? What would have happened? She quickly tucked away her things into a bag and zipped closed everything she could carry. She knew there would most likely be someone coming for her.  


Out the door, down the hall, through the side entrance, away from the common road. She ran. Running, not really with any real destination in mind. Claire was just running, and she didn't look back.

Eventually, she found a safehouse. Dingy, structurally questionable, vacant. Perfect to lay low for a while. She made camp and decided on where to sleep. She would be there for at least the night. Her breathing relaxed slightly, and her heart was able to slow to a more comfortable pace. Her mind began racing with questions.

Where do I go from here?

Who can I trust?

What can I do about this?

She remembered Harold. She hoped he was alive. Maybe even willing to take her in? Most likely not. What about his Machine? Was it targeting her? She left her electronics, and this place had no obvious cameras.

She was hungry; she wasn't able to pack much food or eat anything before everything happened. What was she to do about starving?

… A knock at the door?

Claire was startled, and pulled out a knife and gun she managed to smuggle. She knew she had to be sparing with the bullets; she couldn't get more easily. She looked out the window carefully.

A man in a suit. Of course. They found her. She was so sure to make sure no one followed her. She wasn't about to go down without a fight, though. She gripped the handpiece in her pocket, safety on, and got her knife ready. She made her way to the door carefully. The house was older, and strange in design. She hid behind a wall close to the door.

The door opened.

“Ms. Mahoney? I'm here to help you. I'm coming into the building now.”

This... Complicated things. The man entered and closed the door. She didn't know this person, and had no idea what his intentions actually were. He moved away and up the stairs by the East side of the building, giving her a clear shot with the gun.

Perfect...

She pulled out the gun and quickly aimed it at him. She made enough noise to alert the man, and he turned slowly.

“ … I'm not here to harm you. I've been sent to help.”

“So what? I just walk with you to some unmarked van? Not a chance.”

“What the... No. Look, I promise I won't hurt you. I'm going to get my gun and drop it on the floor.” He slowly reaches for his gun, pulls it out, and puts it on the floor, kicking it to her. “Hear me out.”

Claire looks at him with a strange look of uncertainty. He wasn't told to drop his weapon, but he even kicked it to her. Whatever he's up to, he shouldn't be a threat... She lowered her gun.

“Who sent you? Decima?”

“Let's just say my employer is a concerned third-party.”

“What do they want from me?”

“Well, that's where it gets interesting. How would you like a new place to sleep for the night? The girls back at the Hub might like you. We can talk about it tomorrow.”

“The Hub?”

**[UPDATE]  
Target Secured  
Directing Asset to Hub…  
Mission: Complete  
Alerting Admin… **


	2. Ch.1_home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finding an unlikely ally in this strange man, Claire takes his offer up and joins him for a ride to this "Hub". When she arrives, she meets new faces, and a few familiar ones.

# Ch.1_home

##  **"N lihz zovc nc'd knlr ch khdr dhjrhir vis ch qrrk cor irrs ch sndvggrve, ubc cebdc jr, xhb shi'c zvic ch krvar grhgkr uronis." — Ovehks Qnito, "Pohdcd"**

### KEY: Origin -> C -> A

Claire was looking out the window of the car. The trees rolled by as they went further into the countryside of New York. It was warm in the car, and the food they had earlier was good. She felt a bit more at ease with this man, whose name she didn't ask for yet. Funny… she was just about ready to live off the grid alone, when someone from out of nowhere came and took her in. It's almost too good to be true. She looked at the clock. It was the middle of November, and the weather was really starting to set in. 9:16AM. It's hard to believe that all this happened so quickly. Now she wondered about what the other Decima agents had been going through. Some were reported killed, others arrested. Some just disappeared, though. She had her guard up just in case she was about to find out where they went. The car eventually pulled into a driveway belonging to a decently sized house. There wasn't any other house for at least a few miles.

“We're here,” the man said, putting the car brakes on.

“This is the Hub? Doesn't look like a base of operations to me.”

“Isn't that what a base is supposed to look like? Come on, I'll bring your stuff.” He grabbed her things from the back and guided her up the stairs. 

Claire inspected the outside in detail. Wooded area, no clear power poles or lines anywhere, several lawn gnomes placed about, and a hummingbird feeder hanging on the patio overhang. “It's a nice place, at least.” She looks at the windows, trying to see if she can make out anything without being obvious.

“Everyone needs some time away from the city, but we don't go without. We even have good internet out here thanks to Sam.”

“Who's Sam?”

He paused for a second. “You know, I never really figured that out.” He opens the door and walks in.

The house looks decent inside. Comfortable furnishings and up-to-date appliances in the home. She can make out cameras in some places of the room. There also seems to be a small homemade speaker on the coffee table in the living room and the counter in the kitchen. There is a hallway that probably leads to other rooms. There are people looking at Claire, some of whom look familiar. One person in particular catches her eye.

“Kathryn?” Claire looks at a woman standing in the corner of the living room, who was someone she worked with before at Decima. She was one of the only real friends she made while she was there.

“It's good to see you again, Claire.” She smiles, giving a little nod. 

“Hello, Ms. Mahoney. It's a pleasure to meet you.” A voice is coming out of the speaker. “If you would kindly follow Mr. Carmine, we can meet in person.”

Claire looks at the strange speaker. “Sam, a presume.”

“Yes. I hope that your arrival with him was comfortable.”

“This way,” Carmine said. He walked her down the hallway and opened a door on the left.

The office room was fit with computer monitors and several desks. There are a couple weapons lockers, too. Claire thought of the days where she was at Decima in a similar setting. A man was sitting at a desk working on something. Probably getting information on someone, based on what's on the monitor. He gets up and turns around to meet Claire face to face. He looked somewhat underweight, with a studious look and a gentle-ish face. He looked almost like a teacher, but not quite…

“Welcome, Ms. Mahoney, to the Hub.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have one more chapter that's already written before I have to sit down and write them fresh. I have a feeling that I may want to rewrite this chapter (in some part or the whole thing). Your comments are more than welcome for constructive feedback. Be as ruthless as you like, if it helps make the point.


	3. Ch.2_assets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire learns what this new job is really going to be all about.

# Ch.2_assets

The sound of electronic white noise filled the room. It was amazing that this system worked, despite the janky set up and the obvious lack of foresight.

“I’m sure you must have questions.”

Claire was unsure of what to ask first. She took a second to collect her thoughts before she spoke up. “Why am I here?”

Sam smiled. “Straight to the point. I like it. You’re here, because you were selected to be here. So was Mr. Carmine, and Kathryn Greendale, and everyone else you saw on your way in.”

“ … Why?”

“Ah, yes. If I remember right, you were a former Decima agent. Your skills and experience made you a prime candidate.” Sam looks at the monitors. “You see, I have a friend of sorts. He thinks that you are something of great importance; a key player to what lies ahead.”

“And who is this friend?” Claire was already starting to piece things together. This man reminded her of Finch. Something about the way he presents himself, his choice of dress, the way he talks and what he chooses to say. He also reminds her of Greer, in some ways. 

“You already know, don’t you?” He turns to her. “You’ve seen this all before, and you’ve danced to this same song and tune.”

Claire looks at him. Sam is an interesting character. She can’t pick up any clear motive. She looked at the screens and watched the windows pop open and close again. Lines of code in a programming language she wasn’t familiar with. It all made sense, but there was something missing from the picture. “Is this Samaritan?”

Sam stared for a moment long enough to be slightly awkward. His face sank slightly. “No, Ms. Mahoney…” He took a seat. “No, but you’re not entirely wrong.” 

Claire looked at him with concern. “I’m sorry… did I say something wrong?”

Carmine stepped in. “A while ago, Samaritan marked him and his wife for death. They reached her before we did. We’ve been in hiding ever since.”

“ … I’m sorry…” She could only manage to say that much.

“It’s fine,” Sam said. “It was some time ago. It doesn’t matter now.” He gets back up. “All that matters is what we do now. I am offering you a chance to do something more than just hide until Ms. Shaw and her friends find you. I am asking you to trust me, and I know that given the circumstance you most likely shouldn’t, but all I want is your help.”

“Well,” Claire responded with a slightly joking tone, “I’d rather not be dead.”

“Excellent. You’ll be with Carmine today picking up my daughter.”

“Wait, what?”

  
**  
Date: November 18, 2015  
Time: 13:28  
Monitoring Asset: Claire Mahoney  
Mission Objective: Monitor Primary; Assist Assets  
Logging Progress…   
**   


Claire was watching the students pass by the car with a slightly bored look on her face. She had expected something a bit more to this job, but so far it’s turning out to be average. Apparently most of the action is mainly to keep the anonymity of the HUB, dealing with things that their AI can’t. On a similar note, she never got a name for it. She should probably get it if she’s going to be working alongside it.

“I should probably warn you that she will probably start listing things off your personal life. She does that with all the new guys.”

“Great. Is she a psychic or something?”

“I wish. She’s the only one besides Sam that has any decent conversation with Rory.”

This name caught her attention. “Who’s Rory-”

The car door opens, and a young girl gets into the back seat. She looks like your typical teenager, with straight brown hair and hazel brown eyes. She has a bandage on her nose, and a scar on her left cheek that Claire can’t put her finger on how she got it. The young girl looked up from her phone for a brief second to meet Claire’s eyes.

“Claire Mahoney, ex-Samaritan operative Asset 508, prodigy child, responsible for the near capture of a Mr. Harold Finch, a person of interest to our operations. No public records are currently found in your name, your social security number has been forged twice, and you have a tendency to question authority. You were added to our roster at 09:27 today. Interesting…” She returns to texting on her phone.

“You weren’t kidding…” Claire was taken back a bit. She wasn’t expecting her to know about her identity being scrubbed clean, let alone her time working with Samaritan.

“Lylly, be nice to the lady.” Carmine looks over to Mahoney. “You’ll get used to it. She’s got a heart, you just gotta get to know her, ‘ya know?”

“Have you ever killed someone before?”

Well, that was forward. Claire had to carefully assess her words with her; she can already tell this girl was going to cause her trouble. “No. I almost did once, but that was beyond my control.”

Lylly doesn’t say anything. She is busy tapping away at her phone. Eventually she does speak up. “Good. You tell the truth, albeit barely. You’ll be an excellent agent.”

“Oh, great. You have another one of your crazy schemes planned?”

“Yes.” Her short response somehow made Claire worry. She thought it best not to ask right now about what they were talking about. The less she knew, the better.

“So…” Claire began, “Is there a reason that we are driving her around? Or are we just babysitters?”

Carmine winces. “Yeah… Let’s just say that we make sure she doesn’t get into too much trouble.”

“What kind of trouble could a 16 year old get into?”

“On your left,” Lylly exclaimed. 

An explosion goes off towards the left of the car as Carmine swerves away just in time.

You gotta be kidding…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, that took longer than expected. Apologies on my part. Let me know if you have any feedback.


	4. Ch.3_esc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire escapes with the others.

# Ch.3_esc

  
**  
WARNING: Primary in Danger!  
Alerting All Assets…  
Alerting Admin…  
Action Proposal: Navigate Primary to safety and eliminate all threats.  
Awaiting Admin Approval…  
EMERGENCY PROTOCOL OVERRIDE  
Calculating POLR…  
[|]  
[\\]  
[-]  
[/]  
[|]  
**   


Carmine was weaving in and out of lanes as quickly as he could to make distance with the cars behind, which were slowly advancing towards them. Claire was focused on trying to keep Lylly safe while bullets hit the car. Each direction Lylly shouted bought them some time, but it seemed like the guys shooting at them knew just how to catch right back up with them. There wasn’t much time before one of those bullets made their shot, and Claire wasn’t able to line up any of her shots with their pursuers. It felt like her time with Decima should have prepared her for this, but she wasn’t used to being the one on the wrong side of a gun. Well, except for that time where she almost got herself killed trying to capture Herald, but now wasn’t really the time to reminisce past near death experiences.

”You call this driving? I’ve seen a 90 year old drive better than this!” Claire was clearly not in a very good mood.

”Well, I’m sorry, but the bullets seem to be making me unable to go straight.” Carmine’s snarky comeback sounded calm, but Claire could sense a bit of tension hidden behind it. “Keep your head down, Lylly!”

“Turn left on the third street, then right at the end of the road. We will have reinforcements waiting.”

Another explosion took them by surprise, and the car momentarily caught air before it landed squarely on its wheels. It bounced a bit before settling down again.

“Damnit, we’re losing fuel! I just filled up, too…”

“Just get us as close to the rendezvous as you can.” Lylly seemed to be extremely calm through all of this. It would be odd if she didn’t need an armed escort watching her.

As the car leaked fuel, their pursuers were now gaining ground on them. It was clear they would have to fight their way out of this. Claire reached into her bag and pulled out a grenade.

“Where did you get that,” Carmine asked with a strange tinge to his voice.

“I found it.” Claire threw the live grenade out the window and watched it explode, damaging nearby cars and causing one of the assailants to swerve out of control into a street post.

Lylly tapped Claire on the shoulder. “Do you have another one?”

“Yes, why?”

“Get it ready.”

“I hope your friend knows what he’s doing.” Carmine does his best to keep the car moving forward.

Pulling out another grenade, Claire looks over to Lylly with only a sliver of doubt pulling at her. Now she wishes this was just a simple babysitting job. This kid was only 13 at most. She shouldn't have to be going through a near death experience like this. Who knows what else has happened before she was hired on…

“Pull the pin, wait five seconds, and aim for the second closest car… now.”

Following the young girl’s instructions, Claire watched as the grenade bounced off the second car and exploded, causing a domino effect and disabling most of the other cars chasing them. There was a moment of relief as the adrenaline kicked in. She sat back into her seat, smiling at the feat she just accomplished, and processing what’s happening right now.

... the car stopped moving.

Why did the car stop moving?

Claire looks over to Carmine, who is now turning the key to try and start it back up. Lylly gets up and crawls out the passenger side of the car.

“Quickly, this way.”

Without any hesitation, Claire and Carmine quickly move with guns in hand. The ones chasing them seem to be a bit preoccupied with the explosion that just went off. Carmine stays behind the girls just in case any stray bullets happen to find their way out of the mess behind him as the three of them run into an alleyway and through an open apartment room. Cops have arrived on the scene just a little after they managed to slip away.

A small group of agents is waiting to pick them up at the entrance of the apartment complex. Thankfully, they’re able to leave without any more trouble. Claire is sitting in a car seat, currently trying to take in what just happened and calm down. Lylly, who is sitting next to her, seems completely unphased by all of this. She’s just texting… How is this girl fine after everything that just happened?

What the heck did she get into…

**Author's Note:**

> This is a small story I've been working on. Depending on how it goes, I may write more.


End file.
